A CHILDREN'S football club has won funding to provide specialist coaching for young girls.

As the popularity of women's football increases, Merley Cobham Sports Youth has been selected to run two of the Football Association's new Wildcats Centres.

They offer coaching for girls from the age of five to 11 and anyone interested is urged to get in touch with the club.

Wildcats Centres provide girls with regular opportunities to play football and take part in organised sessions in a fun and engaging environment created exclusively for girls. Hundreds of clubs have been established across England.

The sessions take place on a weekly basis, either after school or at weekends, subject to the local organiser. They provide a safe environment where girls with no football experience can have fun engaging with sport, develop skills, learn new things and create foundations for a lifelong love of sport.

Merley Cobham Sports Youth, which trains at various locations including Merley First School and West Moors Middle School, has grown to 14 teams in recent years.

New members are welcome in all teams for boys and girls aged from five to 18 and also adult women.

Chairman Stuart Pitman told the Daily Echo: "The club has been going for about 20 years but has grown a lot in recent years.

"We would love to hear from anyone interested in getting involved, particularly girls who would like to join the Wildcats Centres."

The club will also be running its first tournament on July 21 and 22 and hopes to attract up to 800 players.

"We already have teams coming from Hampshire and Wiltshire but there's room for more if anyone wants to get involved" said Stuart.

Email mcsyfc@btinternet.com for more information.